Delist MeTa December 29, 2009 1:14 PM Subscribe
Proposed: Remove MetaTalk from the Google index.
I brought this up in the previous thread, but it's hard to have a discussion with all that noise, so I thought I'd put it out on its own:
MetaTalk, like all(?) *.metafilter.com sites, is indexed and searchable by Google. In my opinion, it is unlike the other sites, and should be removed from Google for the following reasons:
- It is meant to be discussions about MeFi. As such, its usefulness is pretty much restricted to the MeFi community, not the online public at large.
- The mods admittedly and deliberately show very little moderation here, as it's meant to be a sort of "release valve" for built-up conflicts that happen in other parts of the site. As such, dialog here can get quite vicious. I don't think flameouts, for example, are a good way to represent us.
- It's a lot more personal here. Members' private lives are discussed.
- Very Important Things gleaned from significant discussions tend to get preserved in the FAQ.
I can understand the practical utility of a Google index during the period where site search was essentially broken, but what's its utility now?
I brought this up in the previous thread, but it's hard to have a discussion with all that noise, so I thought I'd put it out on its own:
MetaTalk, like all(?) *.metafilter.com sites, is indexed and searchable by Google. In my opinion, it is unlike the other sites, and should be removed from Google for the following reasons:
- It is meant to be discussions about MeFi. As such, its usefulness is pretty much restricted to the MeFi community, not the online public at large.
- The mods admittedly and deliberately show very little moderation here, as it's meant to be a sort of "release valve" for built-up conflicts that happen in other parts of the site. As such, dialog here can get quite vicious. I don't think flameouts, for example, are a good way to represent us.
- It's a lot more personal here. Members' private lives are discussed.
- Very Important Things gleaned from significant discussions tend to get preserved in the FAQ.
I can understand the practical utility of a Google index during the period where site search was essentially broken, but what's its utility now?
Or, I think it should stay indexed. I think Google's search does a better job at finding junk than the built in site search.
posted by chunking express at 1:16 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by chunking express at 1:16 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I always use site:(whatever).metafilter.com to search Metafilter instead of the built-in search.
posted by pravit at 1:18 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by pravit at 1:18 PM on December 29, 2009
dialog here can get quite vicious. I don't think flameouts, for example, are a good way to represent us.
But if anything, delisting MeTa from Google would exacerbate the viciousness by creating a sense that what's said here isn't really "public."
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:23 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
But if anything, delisting MeTa from Google would exacerbate the viciousness by creating a sense that what's said here isn't really "public."
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:23 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I always use site:(whatever).metafilter.com to search Metafilter instead of the built-in search.
Have you tried site search? It's pretty good these days, unless you've got some edge case criteria.
posted by mkultra at 1:24 PM on December 29, 2009
Have you tried site search? It's pretty good these days, unless you've got some edge case criteria.
posted by mkultra at 1:24 PM on December 29, 2009
I'm sure I've seen people mention here a number of ways they use Google searches to find things that are difficult to track down with the internal search. Ironically, an internal search for MeTa comments containing "Google" just times out.
So, as an example of the utility of a Google search, it doesn't blow up when the search term produces a lot of results.
posted by FishBike at 1:25 PM on December 29, 2009
So, as an example of the utility of a Google search, it doesn't blow up when the search term produces a lot of results.
posted by FishBike at 1:25 PM on December 29, 2009
Metatalk threads aren't the best way to represent the site—I don't think I'd point a friend here, of all subsites, first unless they had some specific interest in community dynamics or whatnot—but it's not secretive stuff, and I don't think there's any compelling reason to hide it from the world.
It's a lot more personal here. Members' private lives are discussed.
Inasmuch as it is true for metatalk, it is just as true for the blue and much more so for the green. It's any given person's prerogative to choose how open about their life they are in community settings, but there's zero expectation that such personal disclosures would be hidden from google.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:27 PM on December 29, 2009
It's a lot more personal here. Members' private lives are discussed.
Inasmuch as it is true for metatalk, it is just as true for the blue and much more so for the green. It's any given person's prerogative to choose how open about their life they are in community settings, but there's zero expectation that such personal disclosures would be hidden from google.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:27 PM on December 29, 2009
As far as site search vs. google, yes, the site search has gotten much better thanks to pb and will continue to improve over time, but there are things that google does reasonably well that the site search doesn't—quoted string searches being the biggie offhand but the increasing granularity of their advanced search criteria far outstrips what we support or are likely to be able to in the future.
I'm far from convinced that the site search being up to par with google would even feel like a good reason to block indexing, in any case, but it's rather a moot point for the foreseeable future.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:30 PM on December 29, 2009
I'm far from convinced that the site search being up to par with google would even feel like a good reason to block indexing, in any case, but it's rather a moot point for the foreseeable future.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:30 PM on December 29, 2009
To be honest, everything that is excluded from Google is something I eventually want to search for. Current examples: profile pages and deleted threads.
posted by smackfu at 1:32 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by smackfu at 1:32 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Are the deleted threads not indexed?
posted by shakespeherian at 1:41 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by shakespeherian at 1:41 PM on December 29, 2009
I just can't see the motivation behind this, as it removes a very useful feature (being able to do exact string searches) for no tangible benefit. Do you think that people will be more likely to speak frankly if they know their words won't be on google? Do you really think that's a problem that MetaTalk has suffered, people not being frank enough?
posted by Rhomboid at 1:41 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by Rhomboid at 1:41 PM on December 29, 2009
No, they're blocked via <meta name="ROBOTS" content="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW">
posted by Rhomboid at 1:42 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by Rhomboid at 1:42 PM on December 29, 2009
Huh. I now intend to be much more of an insufferable dick in doomed threads.
just kidding
posted by shakespeherian at 1:45 PM on December 29, 2009
just kidding
posted by shakespeherian at 1:45 PM on December 29, 2009
No!
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 1:59 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 1:59 PM on December 29, 2009
Can't imagine that MeTa has a particularly high search ranking. Who links to MeTa?
Especially compared to AskMe, where a post can sometimes bubble to the top of the search results minutes after posting.
I call non-issue.
posted by Sloop John B at 2:01 PM on December 29, 2009
Especially compared to AskMe, where a post can sometimes bubble to the top of the search results minutes after posting.
I call non-issue.
posted by Sloop John B at 2:01 PM on December 29, 2009
Нет!
*pounds shoe on table, sends five random MeFites to Gulag*
posted by languagehat at 2:11 PM on December 29, 2009 [4 favorites]
*pounds shoe on table, sends five random MeFites to Gulag*
posted by languagehat at 2:11 PM on December 29, 2009 [4 favorites]
Is this really a problem? I mean, between Google Earth, Google Wave, Google Phones, Google Operating Systems and Google Chrome, does Google actually bother being a search engine anymore?
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:23 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:23 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Wait, what? You mean other people can read our comments?? SHIT. Please don't tell my mom.
posted by little e at 2:32 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by little e at 2:32 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
No thanks. As we're around the third or fourth year anniversary of GiveWell, the entire event went down in MetaTalk, minus the originating AskMeta stuff. It's an example of the number of things that shouldn't be shuttered away from the public eye.
Cortex is also right. Folks can control what they post and share. Once its posted, it's posted. Sure, it might make it easier to discover via Google, but it's open game to any one who visits the site and uses the search function. Unless someone restricts their posts purely to MetaTalk, their posts on the Blue and Green would be the smoke signal to search the entire site for the investigative or curious.
posted by Atreides at 2:39 PM on December 29, 2009 [5 favorites]
Cortex is also right. Folks can control what they post and share. Once its posted, it's posted. Sure, it might make it easier to discover via Google, but it's open game to any one who visits the site and uses the search function. Unless someone restricts their posts purely to MetaTalk, their posts on the Blue and Green would be the smoke signal to search the entire site for the investigative or curious.
posted by Atreides at 2:39 PM on December 29, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:47 PM on December 29, 2009
As we're around the third or fourth year anniversary of GiveWell, the entire event went down in MetaTalk, minus the originating AskMeta stuff. It's an example of the number of things that shouldn't be shuttered away from the public eye.
This.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:55 PM on December 29, 2009
This.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:55 PM on December 29, 2009
I vote no. My classic rock lyric parodies deserve as wide an audience as possible.
posted by orange swan at 3:06 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by orange swan at 3:06 PM on December 29, 2009
I love this frickin' website.
posted by BeerFilter at 3:07 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by BeerFilter at 3:07 PM on December 29, 2009
hic haec hoc; huius huius huius; huic -- O NO, latin class flashback.
posted by Rhomboid at 3:12 PM on December 29, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Rhomboid at 3:12 PM on December 29, 2009 [2 favorites]
You can put as much or as little information about yourself in your profile as you would like. Or not like. I choose to put things out there, but I use my middle name because I have a weird ex and also it sounds better with my new married name. Now, everyone calls me by my middle name IRL, which is kind of cool. However, I am what I am. Pretty nice, sometimes prone to spastic Scotch/Irish/French tempers. Passionate about certain causes. Lurk way too much, try not to say too much. It took me a while to get on my feet here, even after reading the site for years and years.
If anyone really wants to research me to the point of damning me, well, ok, have at it. I am not a murderous crackhead, I'm just a middle-aged lady who likes reading intelligent and sometimes intense discourse and yes, the fun vent-y stuff on MetaTalk once in a while.
I've met a lot of fantastic people here, IRL and online, and I guess if someone wants to keep their private lives private, they'd best be using a sockpuppet with an ironclad non-traceable ISP. Because you people rock when it comes to ferreting out information. In fact, I think you are all ferrets, except for me.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 3:24 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
If anyone really wants to research me to the point of damning me, well, ok, have at it. I am not a murderous crackhead, I'm just a middle-aged lady who likes reading intelligent and sometimes intense discourse and yes, the fun vent-y stuff on MetaTalk once in a while.
I've met a lot of fantastic people here, IRL and online, and I guess if someone wants to keep their private lives private, they'd best be using a sockpuppet with an ironclad non-traceable ISP. Because you people rock when it comes to ferreting out information. In fact, I think you are all ferrets, except for me.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 3:24 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Hello! And may I point you to the best site on the internet?
posted by shmegegge at 3:28 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by shmegegge at 3:28 PM on December 29, 2009
Is this the mkultra flameout thread?
posted by cjorgensen at 4:56 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by cjorgensen at 4:56 PM on December 29, 2009
Any attempt to keep the data of a public site, especially a popular public site, unsearchable is doomed from the start.
posted by dfan at 4:58 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by dfan at 4:58 PM on December 29, 2009
Members' private lives are discussed
Oh c'mon - you shouldn't put ANYTHING on the internet that you don't want everyone you know to find out about, pseudonym or not.
posted by chrisamiller at 5:08 PM on December 29, 2009
Oh c'mon - you shouldn't put ANYTHING on the internet that you don't want everyone you know to find out about, pseudonym or not.
posted by chrisamiller at 5:08 PM on December 29, 2009
mkultra: Proposed: Remove MetaTalk from the Google index.
I think this would be great.
Sounds like it isn't going to happen, but I think it would be great if it did.
posted by paisley henosis at 5:30 PM on December 29, 2009
I think this would be great.
Sounds like it isn't going to happen, but I think it would be great if it did.
posted by paisley henosis at 5:30 PM on December 29, 2009
Agreed, it's not a secret, but we'd be better off not airing dirty laundry.
posted by orthogonality at 5:43 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by orthogonality at 5:43 PM on December 29, 2009
The dirty laundry... I agree, it doesn't have to be googleable, but don't the moderators remove overly personal stuff from the MeTa anyway? I seem to remember flagging something I thought was too intimate a few months ago, and it disappeared?
posted by Dumsnill at 5:49 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by Dumsnill at 5:49 PM on December 29, 2009
Oh c'mon - you shouldn't put ANYTHING on the internet that you don't want everyone you know to find out about, pseudonym or not.
I am the Kwisatz Haderach, and I don't care who knows it.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:58 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
I am the Kwisatz Haderach, and I don't care who knows it.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:58 PM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Doesn't everyone go to MetaTalk first, to find out what's happening around the site, and to quickly get up to speed on what to avoid and what to check out?
posted by yhbc at 6:17 PM on December 29, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by yhbc at 6:17 PM on December 29, 2009 [5 favorites]
Again, the "not airing dirty laundry" logic isn't valid because it presumes that the person doing the Google search isn't a MetaFilter user, when in fact there are many situations when Google is the only way to find something and thus it would actually be hiding dirty laundry from the person that owns it and wants to find it to wash it.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:45 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by Rhomboid at 6:45 PM on December 29, 2009
yhbc - for me it's MeTa, the deleted thread blog, and the WTF & batshitinsane tag RSS feeds...
posted by russm at 8:03 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by russm at 8:03 PM on December 29, 2009
*pounds shoe on table, sends five random MeFites to Gulag*
*welcomes five new neighbors*
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:07 PM on December 29, 2009
*welcomes five new neighbors*
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:07 PM on December 29, 2009
Didn't your momma tell you to behave, and didn't your daddy tell you never to put anything in writing that might come back to bite you?
posted by Cranberry at 10:44 PM on December 29, 2009
posted by Cranberry at 10:44 PM on December 29, 2009
I vote yes.
I don't really support this idea, but I think this is the point in the thread where our sympathies swing back towards to focus of ire.
posted by ~ at 4:28 AM on December 30, 2009
I don't really support this idea, but I think this is the point in the thread where our sympathies swing back towards to focus of ire.
posted by ~ at 4:28 AM on December 30, 2009
mkultra: "It's a lot more personal here. Members' private lives are discussed."
More than sex and poop questions on AskMe?
posted by IndigoRain at 5:28 AM on December 30, 2009
More than sex and poop questions on AskMe?
posted by IndigoRain at 5:28 AM on December 30, 2009
If people do not wish Google to air dirty laundry, perhaps they should consider not shitting their pants in the first place.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:41 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:41 AM on December 30, 2009
Proposed: Improve MetaTalk's position in the Google index by SEO-spamming 4chan.
posted by killdevil at 6:45 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by killdevil at 6:45 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Personally I've made the very tough choice of deciding NOT to become famous-- therefore nobody gives a shit as to what I have posted on line.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Doesn't everyone go to MetaTalk first, to find out what's happening around the site, and to quickly get up to speed on what to avoid and what to check out?
Real MeFites do. I can't speak for the Great Unwashed.
A little while ago, I suggested a far more severe hiding of and for MeTa. I was then convinced of the reasons against my suggestion and remain so. This is really the same suggestion watered down and it's still just as wrong for MeFi as it was then.
posted by dg at 2:11 AM on December 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
Real MeFites do. I can't speak for the Great Unwashed.
A little while ago, I suggested a far more severe hiding of and for MeTa. I was then convinced of the reasons against my suggestion and remain so. This is really the same suggestion watered down and it's still just as wrong for MeFi as it was then.
posted by dg at 2:11 AM on December 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
continued from here
522. You have compromised your artistic principles and betrayed the Muses. You must self-flagellate with a lobster and wear nothing but lightly-soiled lederhosen to demonstrate your shame and remorse.
posted by Kattullus at 2:10 PM on January 4, 2010
522. You have compromised your artistic principles and betrayed the Muses. You must self-flagellate with a lobster and wear nothing but lightly-soiled lederhosen to demonstrate your shame and remorse.
posted by Kattullus at 2:10 PM on January 4, 2010
523. The Muses can fuck themselves, at least that way their unspeakable diseases will not spread to the general population. That's how we roll here on Hoth, it's survival of the fittest and if we have to sacrifice our Art for that then so be it. Do you think that a giraffe cares about surrealism as it charges into battle? Is your mom going to shed a tear about your little finger puppets while I am boning her? Is the lobster going to stain the lederhosen any less because we have walked away from Art?
What's done is done.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:36 PM on January 4, 2010
What's done is done.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:36 PM on January 4, 2010
Your "list" is a fucking weak joke that's way past its prime and at this point is more about you than it. Quit wanking in MeTa threads and Fuck. Off.
posted by mkultra at 3:29 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mkultra at 3:29 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
524. "Wank wank wank wank," cried the lobster, looking at a picture of Pat Sajak. "Fuck ON!"
The lederhosen were thus stained.
posted by not_on_display at 4:41 PM on January 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
The lederhosen were thus stained.
posted by not_on_display at 4:41 PM on January 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
525. So like I was saying last night when I was boning mkultra's mom, I don't really care all that much about the list qua list. What really spins my chakra wheel when I am charging into battle is the thought that, by being a part of creating this list, that people will pay more attention to me. Do you think a wallflower would wear tight lederhosen like this? Attention, baby - attention, fame surrealism, and me.
What's done is done.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:40 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
What's done is done.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:40 PM on January 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
526. Go to sleep. Wake up. Go to sleep. Wake up. Go to sleep. Don't wake up. Ask a lobster: "Is this is heaven or is this is hell?" The lobster will tell you: "Are you not wearing lederhosen? Are they not lightly-soiled? What do you divine from the stains?"
posted by Kattullus at 11:42 PM on January 4, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 11:42 PM on January 4, 2010
527. The lobster refuses to sign the lightly-soiled lederhosen. Panic! Chaos!! RIOT!!!
posted by Kattullus at 8:15 AM on January 5, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 8:15 AM on January 5, 2010
528. Okay, look dude, I know like Rule 34 and all that, but FOR REAL this is the only place on the internet I can find quality lobster/lederhosen erotica. And I don't have enough room in my apartment for a sufficiently large aquarium. I have nowhere else to wank.
posted by little e at 8:35 AM on January 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by little e at 8:35 AM on January 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
529. The lobster is about to leave, you can tell by the twitching antennae. You'll think so but no, it isn't because your lederhosen are lightly soiled.
posted by Kattullus at 1:14 AM on January 8, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 1:14 AM on January 8, 2010
...and furthermore, I don't want the rest of the internet to know where I hide my surrealist lobster porn, so I agree with mkultra: delist MeTa!
I'm Doug! I'm outta heeeeeEhEEere!
posted by not_on_display at 7:18 PM on January 8, 2010
I'm Doug! I'm outta heeeeeEhEEere!
posted by not_on_display at 7:18 PM on January 8, 2010
530. Now that the lobster has left for Nebraska you can start to fix what's wrong. First stop, clothing store so you can replace the lightly-soiled lederhosen.
posted by Kattullus at 5:50 AM on January 9, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 5:50 AM on January 9, 2010
531. Love is made by two lobster, in different kinds of lightly-soiled lederhosen. It can be in a single pair, but only by an oblivious pair.
posted by Kattullus at 7:27 PM on January 10, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 7:27 PM on January 10, 2010
532. The plates click-clack-click almost subsonically but the other lobster hear it and smell it, the sex is in the water, everywhere. As one they pivot to the north to see his slightly muffled click-clack-click-clack as he comes into their midst. His lederhosen are perfect. In a fit of rage, to his left, a usurper dashes forward and spits on him - drat! Mayonnaise! He lashes out a perfectly shaped, massive pincer and snips off his opponents antenna then hies to a sink but for nought, the stain has set. His ledehosen, slightly soiled.
posted by From Bklyn at 2:00 AM on January 13, 2010
posted by From Bklyn at 2:00 AM on January 13, 2010
533. The lobster has been released, after twelve long years inside. The only thing it got was what it had come in with, a pair of lederhosen, which had become lightly-soiled in storage, but it wasn't about to make a fuss, freedom awaited.
posted by Kattullus at 7:37 AM on January 13, 2010
posted by Kattullus at 7:37 AM on January 13, 2010
534. The lobster has forgotten how many things it was supposed to do. It checks the lederhosen, still unsure.
posted by shmegegge at 8:01 AM on January 13, 2010
posted by shmegegge at 8:01 AM on January 13, 2010
535. Alright Lobster! You've stained your last pair of lederhosen! Come out with your claws up!
posted by not_on_display at 5:12 PM on January 13, 2010
posted by not_on_display at 5:12 PM on January 13, 2010
536. On lobster and lightly-soiled lederhosen day, in the port of Providence, the flies do not buzz, the air lies still. You must be so lonely, on lobster and lightly-soiled lederhosen day, to have nothing to move your hair or buzz at your ear. That change would come, on lobster and lightly-soiled lederhosen day, seemed certain, but certainty is often false hope.
posted by Kattullus at 6:53 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Kattullus at 6:53 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
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OH SNAP?!
posted by chunking express at 1:15 PM on December 29, 2009